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Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting around 5% of reproductive age women, often causing pelvic pain and infertility. This Review addresses current knowledge on the pathogenesis of the condition, medical, surgical and potential new treatments, the role of assisted reproduction, prevention of recurrences, and the association with ovarian cancer.
With improvements in the care of patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), more adults are now living with the condition. However, no consensus exists for managing adult patients with CAH, who generally have a poor health status. In this Review, investigators from the congenital adrenal hyperplasia in adults executive study discuss the treatment and health outcomes of adults with CAH.
The recommended daily iodine intake is 150 µg in adults who are not pregnant or lactating. Most people can tolerate levels above this threshold, but excess iodine exposure or ingestion can result in thyroid dysfunction in certain susceptible individuals. This article discusses the consequences of excess iodine.
The authors review the roles of T3 in skeletal muscle development, homeostasis and pathology, with a focus on the emerging local deiodinase-mediated control of T3signalling. Moreover, this Review addresses how manipulation of deiodinase activity in skeletal muscle might be therapeutically harnessed to improve satellite-cell-mediated muscle repair in patients with skeletal muscle disorders, muscle atrophy or injury.
This Review provides an overview of the diagnostic applications of various imaging modalities for intestinal and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours. The role of imaging in therapy response evaluation and controversies in neuroendocrine tumour imaging are also discussed.
This Review focuses on the roles of the natriuretic peptides and the sympathetic nervous system in regulating adipocyte metabolism. The potential for manipulating the natriuretic peptide pathway to increase energy expenditure in patients with obesity and to manage the complications of cardiometabolic disease is also discussed.
Enormous differences exist between human studies, which show a strong association of low vitamin D status with obesity, and mouse data, where low vitamin D signalling causes resistance to obesity. Understanding these discrepancies may provide better insight into the spectrum of activities of vitamin D and should be of interest considering the world epidemic of obesity and the metabolic syndrome.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as a class of powerful gene expression regulators with a fundamental role in the onset and progression of human cancers. This Review summarizes the emerging knowledge on miRNA deregulation in thyroid neoplasias, the mechanisms through which miRNA deregulation might promote thyroid cell transformation, and how this knowledge could be harnessed for the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid neoplasias.
Emerging data onFTO, the first obesity gene to be identified by genome-wide association studies, suggest a role for the encoded demethylase in nutrient sensing, regulation of mRNA translation and general growth. This Review discusses the genetic epidemiology of FTO and how its complex biology might link to the regulation of body weight.
Mounting evidence suggests that immune-mediated processes and autoimmunity affect female reproductive success. This Review summarizes the effect of individual autoimmune endocrine diseases on female fertility, and points towards selected developments expected in the near future.
Advances in cancer therapy over the past two decades have resulted in more patients surviving for longer after treatment. As many therapies can cause premature ovarian failure (POF), infertility in female cancer patients now needs to be addressed. This Review analyses the options that are currently available to preserve fertility in female patients with cancer and in women at risk of POF.
This Review highlights the reciprocal interaction of pathways that control female fertility and metabolism, a mechanism conserved by evolution. The authors focus on the role of estrogens and the potential of hormone replacement therapy for the treatment of metabolic disorders.
The development of beige adipocytes in white adipose tissue, so called browning, could help to improve metabolic health. This Review discusses the development and regulatory control of beige adipocytes as well as their role in metabolism.
Graves disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism in areas with sufficient iodine intake. This Review summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of current approaches to diagnosis and treatment of Graves disease. Geographical differences in management of the disease will also be discussed.
Diabetic nephropathy is a major cause of morbidity and a key determinant of mortality in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus. This Review addresses the current classification of the stages of diabetic nephropathy, new approaches to identify biomarkers of diabetic nephropathy and current and potential new treatments for this condition.
Glucocorticoids are involved in the regulation of many physiological processes and are essential to the systemic response to stress. This Review outlines recent insights into the mechanisms that influence glucocorticoid sensitivity in health and disease and discusses possible strategies to modulate glucocorticoid sensitivity and improve the outcomes of glucocorticoid therapy.
This Review describes the effects of ERα, AR and RANKL in various cell types involved in bone homeostasis. The authors discuss the implications of findings in animal models for understanding the regulation of trabecular and cortical bone, the integration of hormonal and mechanical signals, as well as the importance of estrogens and androgens in the female versus male skeleton.
KATPchannels have a key role in the regulation of blood glucose homeostasis. This Review outlines their role in the regulation of insulin and glucagon release, which decrease and increase blood glucose levels respectively, under both physiological conditions and in disease states such as diabetes mellitus and hyperinsulinism.
Osteoporotic fractures in older men (>50 years of age) are common and associated with considerable mortality and morbidity. This Review discusses the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis in men and highlights controversies and recommendations from the 2012 Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline on the topic.
Resistance to insulin leads to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) but only when accompanied by pancreatic β-cell dysfunction. This Review describes the molecular mechanisms associated with pancreatic β-cell dysfunction in T2DM and discusses how modulating FOXO1 activity might serve as a new therapeutic target to treat T2DM.
